Every golfer needs to have certain 'go to' shots in their repertoire to help them get out of trouble when out on the golf course.
Learning to play certain shots to help you get out of trouble will really help you lower your scores, because nearly every round of golf will contain mistakes. Low scores are achieved from being able to recover well from mistakes when you make them and recovering well will in turn keep your score low.
One of the best recovery shots that you can learn to play is a low punch. This shot is invaluable whenever you are in trouble with low, overhanging branches. To play this shot, use a low lofted club, try a 5 iron. Play the ball further back in your stance than usual – for a 5 iron play it from the middle of your stance. Place more weight on to your left foot 60-70% and keep your hands forward of the club head or more to the left of the club head. Create a straight line from your left shoulder down to your left hand and then down to the club head. Keep this straight line as you swing back and through the shot, working on not hinging your wrist on your backswing and swinging to around waist height. Once you have done this, swing through keeping the straight line and achieve a laid off follow through where you maintain the straight line and keep the club head lower than the height of your hands on your follow through, rather than using your wrists and letting the club head release. This will allow you to control the trajectory of your shots and maintain a low flight, allowing you to play effective escape shots from the trees.
The second shot that you should learn to master to help you escape from trouble when out on the golf course and to keep your scores low, is playing from the rough.
To play this shot well you need to use a lofted club. The priority here is to get the ball out of the rough and back into play without being too over ambitious and leaving the ball in the rough. Play from this position with a pitching wedge or 9 iron. Open the club face slightly as the rough will tend to wrap around the hosel of the golf club as you play the shot and this will result in this part of the club slowing down, but the toe of the club will not slow down and as a result, the club face will close. Open the club face at address, turn the handle to the right and then place your hands on to the handle. Play the ball from the centre of your stance, with your weight slightly on your left foot, approximately 60%, and your hands forward of the club head. This will encourage you to have a slightly steeper swing and will allow you to hit down into the back of the golf ball, striking the ball then the ground. As you swing back, work on picking the club head up slightly so that you can strike down firmly. Make sure you turn your body through impact and swing into as full a follow through as the rough allows.
Learning to play both of these two escape shots well will really help you to escape from trouble situations and help you shoot lower scores out on the golf course.
